Is TUMI Reformed? Does TUMI believe in amillenialism? etc...

TUMI Ops
- September 09, 2015 20:01

QuestionDoes the capstone curriculum used in TUMI teach from a Reformed/Covenant perspective? That is, do they teach that we are living in the "realized" millennial (amillennialism)? Do they believe that the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel are fulfilled in the church (replacement theology)? Do they believe that the kingdom of God is already present in the sense that there will be no literal thousand year reign after the second advent of Christ? Do you believe that Israel, that is , the literal descendants of Abraham through Isaac, through Jacob are no longer recipients of Gods promises to them as a result of not "accepting Jesus" as the Messiah?

AnswerTUMI's Capstone curriculum is based on a Nicene Credal perspective of the theology, and is informed by the basic theological tenets which have been confessed in the Great Tradition as anchored on the basic outline of the theology represented within it. As our module on the Kingdom of God teaches we have avoided these more Protestant traditional notions of eschatology, not asserting that they are incorrect, but giving a broader outline of New Testament theology as outline in the work of George Eldon Ladd's works (e.g., The Gospel of the Kingdom, The Presence of the Future, New Testament Theology, et. a.l.). Ladd's notion of the "Already/Not Yet' Kingdom is dynamic, and need not be classified under the rubrics your questions ask. To assert that, with the incarnation of Jesus into the world, the Kingdom has been inaugurated can be seen from his own testimony regarding his works in the world. Jesus is the seed of Abraham, the Son of David, Daniel's Son of Man, the Messiah and Anointed One promised int he book of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. His exorcisms demonstrated his authority over the devil and his minions, his miracles revealed his rescinding of the curse, and his teaching outlines the life of the Kingdom presented in his life and words, an obedience contrasted to Adam's disobedience and Israel's unfaithfulness (see Rom. 5).

Additionally, his death destroyed the devil, cleansed from sin's punishment and evil, brought life and light and immortality to humankind, and propitiated the Father's wrath against those who believe. His resurrection guarantees that all who believe will share in his eternal glory, and his ascension poured out on the Church the gift of the Holy Spirit, making the powers of the Age to Come present in the Church, the guardian and steward of the mysteries of God. In this sense, the Kingdom's life and promise is present, available to all who believe, and whose life can be enjoyed presently in the assembly of believers. Still, however, the Kingdom has not been consummated, it is not yet totally fulfilled. The devil roams about seeking whom he may devour, the world, with its lust, greed, and pride, still entraps millions, and the old sin nature continues to plague those who believe. The world is sick, dark, and lost, and Christians are responsible to be both salt and light in the midst of a perverse, twisted generation that awaits the judgment of God.

In the Kingdom of God module, we outline the various historical positions related to the fulfillment of the Kingdom as related to the millennium (post-, pre-, and amillennial views) and to the "Great Tribulation" as that event relates to the end times. As an interdenominational ministry, TUMI affirms the blessed hope of the Scripture which all Christians everywhere have always believed, the rule of faith captured and confessed in the Creed, that Christ will come again, judge the living and the dead, reign as Lord in his Kingdom. All the promises made to the patriarchs and prophets will come to pass, and as 1 Cor. 15.22ff. suggests, once all the enemies have been put under Jesus' feet, then the Kingdom will be handed over to God who will become our "All-in-all." We believe the that the promise and hope of Christ's return and reign will literally occur, that he will reign as John the Apostle testifies in the book of Revelation, and that the Kingdom which has already been inaugurated with the incarnation of Jesus will be consummated when he returns bodily and visibly, in God's own time.